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Cadet training with firefighters

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Dusty:
should  cadets be training with firefighter

6739264:
I think that they can be incorporated into larger drills, for sure.

Cadets need to be seen as part of the brigade, not just a tacked on "Scouts" group. In the past my brigade had run things like this, and you would have cadets hitting 16, becoming a firefighter, but then essentially being a new member in a brigade because they had been totally detached from training with the other firefighters.

It's important for cadets to train together, depending on their numbers, but the can do a lot of other things. How many training nights are theory sessions? Why can't a cadet been seen simply as a member who only has BFF1? Those members still can assist at RCR/BA/Hazmat training. Why not the cadets? This also allows them a seamless transition into full firefighting duties.

Ofcourse this should depend on the individuals, and it needs to be made clear that the training is serious and not a muck around session, nor a babysitting service.

bajdas:
Can they be used as casualties in the firefighters exercises ?

6739264:

--- Quote from: bajdas on February 10, 2009, 10:29:58 AM ---Can they be used as casualties in the firefighters exercises ?

--- End quote ---

Why not?

Pipster:
I think the answer to should cadets training with the firefighters (I think by that you mean at the same training sessions), is "it depends"

If you have an 11 year old join CFS, and train alongside the seniors, it can create issues in terms of the 11 year olds ability to comprehend the information provided, at the speed it is presented.

Some 11 year olds are very switched on, and can (and do) grasp the concepts pretty quickly, so no special attention is needed, while others may struggle to understand the information being provided in an adult learning environment.

Some of the cadets (and some seniors for that matter!) have a short attention span.  This can be disruptive, and difficult for the brigade to train the cadets alongside the adults.

If you have a large number of cadets, it can create issues when training alongside the seniors, in that you don't have enough space on the appliance to cart everybody around, not enough equipment to use during training etc.

So there are some certainly some considerations to be taken into account.

However, there are also many advantages of having cadets training alongside the seniors.    My own brigade currently has three cadets - 13, 14.5 x2

All three of them were very keen to join CFS, are able to grasp the training concepts presented without having to make extra special arrangements for them.

The attention span on all three is good, so we don't have bad behaviour disrupting the rest of the members.

When they become firefighters, aged 16, they will have had 18 months + of training alongside the Seniors, picking up snippets of info about real calls, so their transition from cadet to firefighter is relatively seemless.

Overall, there are both advantages & disadvantages of having Cadet members training with the seniors.

How a brigade ultimately runs the cadets is dependent on many factors, (some outlined above), and what works well in one brigade, may fail dismally in another!

Pip

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